What to drink with a kebab - and it's not lager!

Inspired by the British Kebab awards Zeren Wilson wonders what the perfect wine pairing is for a kebab and comes up with some surprising conclusions.

Zeren writes: "Something is stirring in the world of Turkish dining in London, a subtle shifting of the landscape. This week the 2014 British Kebab Awards were held in the Park Lane Sheraton, a celebration of the finest purveyors of this most primal and visceral form of eating, that of slamming bits of animal over white hot coals (sometimes the skewer is flourished), turning them every now and again, and waiting until they are done.

The roots of the Turkish word kebap can be traced back to Mesopotamia, it's origins arriving through the Persian and Urdu languages, with its original meaning summing things up cutely: meat cooked with flames.

As the son of a Turkish Cypriot mother, the kebab has played a role in my upbringing from a disconcertingly early age. At six months old my parents took me along to their favourite Kebab restaurant and Britain's first, Nasreddin Hoca (named after a historical Ottoman figure), and slung me under the table while they chowed on meat, hummus and garlicky yoghurt dip, cacik. If Twitter had existed back then, I would probably have sent my first tweet from under the table.

We Brits have evolved a great tradition of getting plastered on a Saturday night (as one should sometimes) and soaking up all that booze with a late night kebab, which may be a gourmet delight, but so often can be something....less appealing.

The British Kebab Awards were not bigging up the potentially shocking Elephant Leg here (which with good meat, can also be great), but rather theTurkish restaurants that have been serving up thoroughly decent meat, chargrilled with a bit of love.

Apart from hoovering up a few bottles of the Turkish lager Efes (it does a job, but won't shake your shish in an earth-changing way), there are a few styles of wine that have the weapons in their armoury to cope with the bold flavours involved and the smoke of the grill.

Turkish wines have improved considerably over recent years, but on a recent visit to Istanbul I found prohibitive taxes applied to wine, making drinking anything decent an almost impossible task without being shafted on price.

Importers in the UK have started to notice the improvements*, and one of the first to take the leap has been Armit, who bring in wines from the very decent Urla winery, which Jancis Robinson featured on her site a couple of years ago.

Turkish varietals have some wonderful names, chief among them being the burly, tannic grape Bogazkere (poetically translated as 'throat scraper'), and the somewhat fluffier, friendlier Oküzgözü* (meaning 'bull's eye', which is often blended with its more abrasive, tannic cousin to achieve balance and roundness.

A Turkish white varietal which perked up my palate was the versatile Narince, a Riesling-esque wannabe, with great acidity and a broad spectrum of fruit flavours ranging from lime and grapefruit, through to lusher tropical notes. It can also cope with a touch of oak in the right winemaker's hands.

Doluca is another example of a Turkish winery making clean, accessible wines which have the potential to enter International markets and compete on the quality front.

Let's see what else we can pour successfully when perched up against the heat of the mangal . . .

ADANA KEBAB - For me this is the 'daddy' of the kebab restaurant experience, and I never feel satisfied unless I have at least a bite of this glorious 'köfte on a stick'. Named after the fifth largest city in Turkey, this is a boldly flavoured assemblage of minced lamb meat (often with tail fat), sweet red peppers, garlic, onion, parsley, red pepper flakes, with some variations depending on the venue.

Wrapping this in a Turkish flatbread (dürüm) which has been moistened with the fat from the cooking meat, with some salad, makes for a joyous experience. A glorious version in Istanbul involved pistachio nuts. Meaty, fatty, spicy — I would go for reds with big gobs of dark fruit, a ballsy Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, Argentinian Malbec, Aussie Shiraz - that kinda thing.

CHICKEN SHISH - The 'vanilla' of the kebab world, but some mangals marinade their chicken in such a way, that suddenly chicken is not the boring option any more. There is often some heat from the spice of the marinade involved too. A broad-shouldered white or lighter red are the wines to think about here, so perhaps New World Chardonnay that doesn't have too much of a slap of oak, such as a Chardonnay from Mornington Peninsula, Australia (I love Kooyong), or South African or New Zealand Chardonnay or white varietals with a bit of lushness to them - a New World Pinot Gris perhaps. Tempranillo from Spain, or Grenache dominated- Rhône reds should feel at home here too.

LAMB SHISH - The classic cubes of lamb shoulder are the archetypal Turkish kebab item, and no kebab feast would be complete without it. Reds from Ribera del Duero work very well here as do fuller-bodied reds from the Languedoc-Roussillon and South-West France such as Cahors. (These tend to be great value, too).

QUAIL - If you're lucky, a good mangal will have quail on the menu. A chance to pull out your favourite Pinot Noirs and lighter reds. My ideal would be a Californian Pinot Noir, something from the Sonoma Coast. Or top red Burgundy, if you are bringing the wine. Thanks.

LAMB BELLY - Another option which won't always be there but is a joy to eat, stripping the meat and fat from the bone until there is no DNA left. Reds with great acidity work best to slice through all of that fat, so good Northern Rhône Syrah is an option here: St Joseph, Cornas, or Côte-Rôtie if someone else is paying. Sonoma Coast Syrah is having a bit of a moment too. Step forward, Arnot-Roberts Syrah, which is brought in by Roberson Wines.

Any kebab feast will involve a whole host of flavours, a melange of spice and fat, meat and smoke, and it may be hot, sweaty, and bloody noisy. When it comes down to these myriad factors, wine matching thankfully takes a step back from the discussions of perfect wine combos and you may end up surprising yourself with the combinations that work.

I enjoyed a white that sailed through every course without flinching in the face of the assault of smoke, meat, spice and fat-slicked fingers. This accolade fell to Ataraxia Chardonnay 2012, from South Africa, made by husband and wife team Kevin and Hanli Grant. A modern barrel-fermented Chardonnay with plenty of elegance alongside the heft of New World fruit.

Right, I'm off to Green Lanes in Harringay**, N16, for the mother of all kebab crawls...

* Marks & Spencer has recently started listing one which I made my wine of the week a few weeks back.

** There may be those of you that wonder whether this should be Haringey. I did but Zeren assures me that's how the locals spell it!

Zeren Wilson is a food and wine writer with a background in the wine trade. He publishes his own blog Bitten & Written.

Image by Никита Лазоренко from Pixabay

Must grouse wine matches be classic?

I’m always in two minds about whether to write about the beginning of the grouse season. After all only a tiny number of people will be sufficiently interested - or well-heeled - to bag the first birds that arrive on restaurant tables this evening.

However grouse will feature on menus over the next few weeks and I’ve been rethinking my recommendations. Up to now my view has been that grouse is such an expensive luxury that it deserves a venerable bottle of top red burgundy or Bordeaux. "I'd go for a burgundy like a Chambolle-Musigny but a mature red Bordeaux or a Côte Rôtie would be equally delicious" was what I wrote a couple of years ago.

But the fact is that most chefs now cook grouse as rare as roast beef and I’m not sure that a younger bottle of the same type of wine mightn’t be better with the season’s first birds. And that could easily be pinot from less traditional areas such as Central Otago and Martinborough in New Zealand, Australia’s Mornington Peninsula or Yarra Valley, Oregon or from California’s Anderson or Russian River Valleys whose wines often outperform mediocre burgundies. Or a vivid young syrah rather than a venerable one. Just because you’re paying a fortune for your bird doesn’t mean you should necessarily pay over the odds for your wine, especially if you're eating out.

Later in the season when grouse gets gamier you might want to reach for more complex wines - the Domaine Tempier Bandol I wrote about a while back would be fabulous but younger less expensive southern French mourvèdres would be fine too. And last year I successfully paired it with a dark brambly Georgian Saperavi.

I found restaurateur Tim Hart of Hambleton Hall in Rutland was with me on the mature mourvèdre front but was still basically a burgundy man "The same whether it’s August or November" So is cookery Rowley Leigh who used to offer a special selection of burgundies 'at prices way below normal margins' at his former restaurant Le Cafe Anglais because, he said, 'we heartily believe in drinking Burgundy with grouse'.

Henry Harris, formerly of Racine in Knightsbridge was prepared to concede "there might be some difference in a couple of weeks as the birds get more fragrant and the heather seems stronger" but was still inclined to stick to France. "Day one an elegant Bordeaux, as the season progresses a Rhône."

So, there you go. Maybe I’m now out on a limb but if you’re lucky enough to be having grouse more than once I’d try it both ways.

If you want to have a go at grouse yourself there's a great recipe here from Bristol chef Stephen Markwick with whom I collaborated on A Well-Run Kitchen.

Photo © Robin Stewart at shutterstock.com

Pairing Errazuriz wines at Pollen Street Social

New world wines are sometimes criticised (usually by the French!) for overwhelming subtle Michelin-starred food but award-winning blogger Jeanne Horak-Druiff of Cooksister found much to admire when she attended an Errazuriz food, wine and photography evening at Pollen Street Social.

"We kicked off with three amuse-bouches on which to practise our smartphone photography" Jeanne reports: "soft cooked Italian egg with tomato fondant, mushroom purée, potato foam and bacon powder, venison terrine crostini and a spoonful of lobster, apple, fennel and avocado which went particularly well with the Errázuriz Aconcagua Costa single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc we’d been handed on arrival - the food brought out a pronounced gooseberry flavour in the wine which was quite delicious.

This was followed by another round of amuse-bouches consisting of puffed pork skin with seaweed salt, parmesan biscuits with smoked tomato chutney and fennel seed crackers with ricotta - with the intensely flavoured biscuits and smoky chutney being my runaway favourite.

With our delicately beautiful starter of Colchester crab salad rolls with coriander pineapple, shiso leaf, compressed fennel and espelette pepper we sampled the 2013 Aconcagua Costa Sauvignon Blanc again (13% alc, RRP £12.49) - a clear pale yellow with a hint of green; a rich nose of gooseberries, cut grass and green tomato; and a palate of tropical fruit (guavas, passion fruit) but well balanced by good structure and acidity and

Aconcagua Costa single vineyard wild fermented Chardonnay 2011 (13.5% alc, RRP £15.99). This wine spent 10 months in oak and it certainly shows in the rich golden colour! I loved the opulent nose of apricot and creamy vanilla scents and the rich mouthfeel. Nevertheless, the palate is not over-oaked nor as overwhelmingly creamy as the nose might suggest but rather balanced and elegant with notes of citrus and minerality to match the ripeness.

The Chardonnay was definitely my favourite match with the crab rolls, having enough complexity to stand up to the more strident flavours of the dish without overwhelming the more subtle ones.

For our main course we had perfectly pink Lake District rack of lamb, a fritter of braised lamb shoulder, fregola pasta in basil, olive powder, artichokes and more of that fabulous smoked tomato chutney. To match this, we tried two of the estate's reds:

· Aconcagua Costa wild fermented Pinot Noir 2011 (13.5% alc, RRP £24.00). An odd, slightly foxy or wild nose, but with good colour for a Pinot Noir, the wine was less full-bodied than I had expected, with a subtle spiciness soft tannins. It made a good match for the lamb though, emphasising the subtle gamey notes in the meat.

· Aconcagua Costa Single Vineyard Syrah 2011 (14% alc. RRP £19.99) This was by far my favourite red wine of the night with its deep inky purple colour and rich dark berry nose reminiscent of Ribena for grown-ups. The palate was equally lush and appealing, full of the autumnal flavours of ripe blackberries and blackcurrants, but with soft vanilla notes and hints of Christmas spices with a long finish. For me, though, this was a sipping wine rather than a food wine as food took the edge off the lush fruitiness and made the finish seem shorter.

With our cheese course of three cheeses (a Camembert-style cheese, a hard cheese along the lines of a Comté, and a third creamy soft cheese) together with crackers and homemade chutney we were served two of the estate's premium red blends:

· Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve 2008 - 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc 6% Syrah (14.5% alc. RRP £50). This was in total contrast to the heavy, perfumed Syrah - a far lighter colour and palate full of ripe red berries as opposed to dark berries, with peppery notes and lovely balanced tannins. It seemed a lighter wine than the Syrah, despite its higher alcohol and although I liked it, I did not think it was a great match for the cheese, which seemed to emphasise the wine's acidity.

· Kai Carmenère 2010 - 96% Carmenère, 4% Petit Verdot (14.5% alc. RRP £90) This had a deep, velvety purple colour and a nose with vegetal hints but also dark red fruits and fig preserve. On the palate, there were grippy tannins and good structure with restrained fruit and flavours of Christmas cake. I found this to be an outstanding match for the cheese which seemed to bring out lovely fresh fig and peaty whisky flavours in the wine. Lovely as it was, I do have to wonder who this wine is aimed at, with a price tag of nearly one hundred pounds?

As we sat around finishing the last of the wine, we were served a wonderfully light and refreshing dessert of mandarin sorbet topped with yoghurt cream and kafir lime shavings; and those of us who had the shortest journey home and could afford to linger the longest were also rewarded with glorious little warm financiers with a centre of raspberry jam, fresh from the oven."

To read about the food photography element of the evening with photographer Paul Winch-Furness read the second part of Jeanne’s report here.

DISCLOSURE: Jeanne attended this event as a guest of Errázuriz Estate and R&R Teamwork. All opinions are her own.

10 food-friendly wines from The Beautiful South

Wine writer Matt Walls picks out his favourite wines from Chile, Argentina and South Africa from last week's Beautiful South tasting

"I’m in a restaurant, I’m in a hurry, so I don’t have time to look at the whole wine list. It’s laid out by country of origin, so I’m forced to generalise somewhat. Do I turn straight to Chile? How about Argentina? South Africa? Well I suppose it depends what I’m eating... but it’s unlikely I’ll turn to any of these countries first. It’s not that they don’t make good wines, or that I don’t enjoy them – it’s just that when I’m looking for wines to go with food, they’re not usually my first port of call.

If I’m looking for a wine to match with my lunch or dinner, there are a few criteria I’ve got in mind. I’m looking for refreshment, balance, and something that will work in harmony with the food – so usually something savoury, and not too intensely flavoured. These are things I’ve more commonly found elsewhere – often in wines from countries with cooler climates, which push acidity and tannin to the fore, rather than fruit and flavour.

The Beautiful South tasting at Olympia in London last week brought together over 300 producers from South Africa, Chile and Argentina all in one place. It was the perfect opportunity to hunt for food-friendly wines to see if I’ve been missing out. Here are 10 wines that stood out for their food-matching versatility.

Argentina

Argentina does power with aplomb. Surging Malbecs and impressively concentrated Cabernets are still the rule it seems. But when it comes to food, what do you match them with? They stomp all over everything but the most powerfully flavoured dishes. And sadly in the UK we can’t all eat two steaks a day.

I was on the lookout for more refreshing, lighter styles. These were still the exception, but I enjoyed the Viñalba Patagonia Reservado Malbec 2012 from Rio Negro (14.5%, £12.99, Buckingham Schenk). Patagonia is a region shared by Argentina and Chile in the cooler, southern end of South America. Compared to their standard Malbec, it was lighter, with less noticeable alcohol and more acidity making it feel less intense but more drinkable.

The Achaval Ferrer ‘Finca Bella Vista’ Malbec 2008 from Lujan de Cuyo (14.5%, £69.80, Hedonism Wines) also hails from a cooler region, but it’s not just this that provides its finesse, lightness and spice. The vines are over 100 years old and give exceptionally low yields (it takes three plants to make a single bottle of wine). European Brand Manager Jevgenijs Suscinkis explains this helps them “try to balance the power of South America with the elegance of Old World wine” – and I’d say they’ve succeeded. This is a brilliant Malbec – but it had better be at nearly £70 a bottle. Both this and the Viñalba are relatively versatile and would work with fillet steak as well as fattier cuts of beef.

Even among the whites competitive bodybuilding is still in evidence, but the Terrazas de los Andes ‘Terrazas Selection’ Torrontés 2011 from Salta, (13.5%, Hailsham Cellars, £11.49 for the 2010) was restrained, refreshing and displays plenty of citrus flavours alongside its classic floral aromas. Dry and well balanced, it would work brilliantly with aromatic spices and seafood – a Thai green curry with king prawns would be ideal.

South Africa

From the start I suspected South Africa would be a fruitful hunting ground for fresher, more drinkable wines – and it didn’t disappoint. The cooler coastal areas such as Walker Bay, Overberg and Elim are brimming with exciting wines.

Cederberg’s new Ghost Corner ‘The Bowline’ Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2012 (13.5%, £17.95, Bancroft Wines) uses fruit from cooler Elim and is well worth checking out. A blend of 52% Sauvignon and 48% Semillon, this thrilling wine has a sappy citrusy tang, vibrant intensity and a long balanced finish. It would pair well with simply cooked sea bass with a salsa verde.

For dry, savoury, mineral Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, Crystallum have no weak links in their range. Their ‘Clay Shales’ Chardonnay 2012 from Overberg (13%, winedirect.co.uk, £23.95) is particularly fine. It’s an intense and focussed wine with a long mineral finish, given roundness by even-handed use of oak. This Burgundian-style Chardonnay would give many village Puligny-Montrachets a run for their money. Try it with roast chicken with lemon and tarragon.

Swartland may not be a cool climate area, but sea breezes create marked differences between day and night temperatures which help give fragrance and balance to the wines. The medium-bodied, peppery Mullineux Syrah 2011 (13.5%, Handford Wines, £19.99) is quite simply a brilliant wine. Dry, savoury, measured and fresh, it would go well with a simply cooked rack of lamb with green beans.

Chile

Chile for me was the big surprise of the tasting. It’s blessed with a huge variety of different terrains, and increasingly extreme areas are being planted, sometimes with extraordinary results.

Tabalí is based in coastal Limarí, an area which is getting attention for the quality of its lean, mineral Chardonnays. Talinay is the name of their new range of wines, this time planted even closer to the sea (just 12km) on 100% limestone. Their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are both very good, but their Pinot Noir 2011 (14%, Stone Vine & Sun, £15.75 for the 2010) in particular is worth tracking down. It has an attractive wild strawberry nose, a firm, dry, intense finish and just enough fat to place it in the New World. A versatile wine for food – great for game birds.

A little further south in Aconcagua is San Antonio, another cool climate coastal area that is coming out with some restrained, pure, fresh whites and reds. Matetic ‘EQ’ Syrah 2011 (14%, winedirect.co.uk, £16.95 for the 2010) is made here, and it was the best Chilean Syrah I tasted. Medium-bodied, with a soft silky texture, superfine tannins, bright acidity and fragrant red and black berry fruit, this would be a great match with lamb, sirloin, or other fatty red meats.

Another good tip for finding freshness is to look south – far from the equator so naturally cooler. Sebastian De Martino of De Martino Wines aims to make “gastronomic wines” from his holdings in Itata. His ‘Viejas Tinajas’ Muscat 2012 (13%, Les Caves de Pyrène, £11.52) is fermented in large earthenware amphoras with six months of skin contact. The result is a highly individual wine showing beeswax, lanolin and dried apricots on the nose, but with enough acidity and florality to keep it fresh and lively. It would be lovely served with guinea fowl with wild mushrooms.

Cono Sur claim to be the biggest single producer of Pinot Noir in the world. But it’s their snappily titled Single Vineyard Block 23 Rulos del Alto Riesling 2012 (13.5%, £11.80, New Street Wine Shop) that caught my eye. From Bio-Bio, even further south than Itata, this clean, dry Riesling had concentrated satsuma and lime skin flavour and would be a great match with a crab and grapefruit salad.

Overall I was impressed by the value for money displayed by many of the wines coming out of Chile and South Africa. Although the more subtle, leaner styles that I was looking for aren’t always the cheapest on offer, their prices compare favourably with a similar level of quality in France or Italy.

As all three countries explore new regions, and the newly planted vines mature, hopefully we will see an increasing focus on how their wines match with food. Sebastian De Martino explains “there’s a trend towards cool climate, but not necessarily towards food-friendly wines”. Thankfully, from what I tasted, the two go hand in hand.

Matt Walls writes about wine, runs tastings and works with restaurants to create wine lists. He blogs at www.mattwalls.co.uk and tweets @mattwallswine.